Blue Moon
by anonymously.peeved
Summary: AU. ShinShi. "A full moon that rises twice in a month." Boundaries of all sciences ever known to humans are pushed as a renowned chemist goes against her beliefs to bring a dead detective back to life. With an obsessive assassin tracking her every move, Miyano Shiho soon finds herself caught in an impending whirlwind that would change the whole of Japan...
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes: Hello everyone! This is my very first fanfiction, and I hope you will have as much fun reading it as I did writing it! Before I get flamed for spelling errors, I want to point out that this is written in British English, so 'realize' will be spelled as 'realise'. Thank you!**

**24 August 2013: Basically, I edited Chapter Two, then merged it with Chapter One, before taking down Chapter Three. The next "Chapter Three" you see will be the original "Chapter Four". Sorry for any confusion caused!**

**Disclaimer: Gosho Aoyama owns Detective Conan. I only own the plot of this story.**

* * *

Ran found it hard to breathe as she stared at the cold, lifeless form of Kudo Shinichi. Tears prickled her eyes and she bit her lips hard.

_No…this couldn't be happening. _

Desperately, she grabbed his hand and squeezed it. Yet, the chilliness of the air around him only ascertained the fact that her childhood friend, the maniac crazy about solving cases, was now dead. He lay on the hard cemented floor rigidly, his pale lips slightly apart. He was still donning his navy blue Teitan High uniform, the first few buttons of his coat unbuttoned in his usual fashion.

Ran could hear the Lord of Death silently sniggering, mocking her as he dragged the last of Shinichi's spirit along with him to a place where mortals could not reach. A lone tear fell to the ground as Ran placed her palm on his chest, checking his heartbeat.

_Nothing._

Ran blinked rapidly in a futile attempt to keep her tears from flowing. She looked at the peaceful smile on Shinichi's face and found it harder to keep her emotions in check. Just how could such a good lad leave the world at such a young age? Life was unfair. The criminals who had murdered him were long gone, while an innocent man had his life taken away from him. It wasn't fair!

In the humid afternoon, Ran could only watch helplessly as her first love drifted further and further away from her. The sky turned a gloomy shade of grey, as if feeling the melancholy of the tragic couple who were forced to be separated. Another tear trailed down her cheeks, and Ran wiped it away hastily.

_Pitter. _An innocent raindrop hit the pavement. Without warning, it soon turned into a heavy downpour. The dark clouds hovered in the sky, millions of silver pins falling back to Earth. Shoulders shuddering, Ran broke down and the overflowing tears rolled down her cheeks. Head hung in shame, she covered her face as she cried loudly.

_I'm so useless! I couldn't even protect the one I love!_

Her heartbroken sobs resounded loudly through the air, followed instantly by a clap of thunder. Unable to control herself anymore, Ran held onto Shinichi's clothing for dear life, and shut her eyes tight.

"Shinichi! Don't you leave all on my own!" she wailed, hitting his chest with as much strength as she could muster. "You jerk! How could you go now when you haven't fulfilled your promises?" Ran sniffed loudly, and punched the ground in frustration. "And I didn't even confess to you! All these feelings of mine were bottled up in my chest…and now –" she swallowed hard, "I don't even get to say those words."

She shook Shinichi's shoulders and continued, "I never told you I love you, you idiot! I've always loved you! How could you not notice it and leave me, huh? I love you, I love you, I love you!" she lunged forward and engulfed Shinichi in a warm hug. "I've only loved you, Shinichi…it was always you. You were always the first one who would notice that I'm feeling unwell, and you were always the first one to wipe away my tears when I'm feeling down, and you were always the first one to greet me in the morning…"

She took in several deep breaths, her hands trembling. For the first time, she took a good look at Shinichi's face. He had high cheekbones, a high-bridged nose, fair complexion, full plump lips which he probably inherited from his beautiful mother. His jet black hair complemented his delicate features perfectly, a few strands of hair always sticking upwards at the back of his head.

He indeed was handsome. Ran had always known this, but she never noticed how good-looking he really was. She could understand his fan girls' feelings now, even just a little. Gingerly, she lifted her finger and trailed along his cheekbones, his nose, his eyes, his hairline, and his lips. Her finger lingered on them, as if trying to remember all the small details. They were slightly dry and cracked, and Ran choked back her tears.

"Why, Shinichi? Why do I always have to cry when it comes to you? Do you really dislike me that much? So much that you can't even bear to stay with me?"

In the chilly night, Ran buried her head in the crook of Shinichi's neck, not noticing a dark shadow behind her. The mysterious person loomed over her, her eyes cool and piercing.

"I can save him."

Ran's eyes widened. Her heartbeat quickened, and it was so loud that Ran thought she had imagined the voice. She blinked rapidly, before turning around slowly. Time seemed to pass excruciatingly slowly as Ran finally came face-to-face with the last person she had expected to see.

"What?" she spluttered.

The renowned chemist gazed at her condescendingly, her sharp chin tilted upwards as she folded her arms across her chest.

"You heard me," she spoke slowly, enunciating every word with dry sarcasm.

Ran froze; at that moment, blue, cobalt eyes met with soft, caramel eyes. She stared at the woman before her with her mouth hanging open slightly. _This can't be real…right? _She glanced at Shinichi, and lifted her head again to meet the chemist's gaze.

"He's dead," Ran said simply, hoping her voice would not break. She spared another glance at the man in her arms lovingly. "He's dead." She stroked his hair with a gentle smile, suddenly forgetting that a third party was still watching them.

"Not if I save him."

"Shut up."

"I really can."

"Shut…up."

"Just hand him over to – "

"Shut up!" screamed Ran. Fresh salty tears started streaking down her chin again. "He's dead, he's dead, he's dead! Stop trying to raise stupid hope in me! You know it. You know that he's can't be revived! Just stop it and go away!" she roared, pure fury in her eyes. Ran still could not grasp what was happening. Had Shinichi really passed away? It just seemed surreal. No, it was impossible. Shinichi was too perfect. He was too young. No, he did not deserve to die. Ran tried to calm her erratic heartbeat.

_In…out…in…out._

She sniffed. "What do you want?"

The chemist smirked. "Easy. Just him and his body for as long as he is in the process of recovering."

"In exchange for his well-being?"

The tension in the air in told everything Ran needed to know. She knew that the chemist definitely did not do this out of noble intentions. In fact, she had a feeling that the chemist had deadly thoughts in her mind. Still…if Shinichi could be revived, it couldn't be that bad, right?

Ran knew that she had to make her choice carefully. This was a huge gamble, and if she did not play her cards right, she would have to pay a price.

"I can't promise you that," the chemist said with a tight smile, "but I promise you that he'll be alive the next time you see him."

Ran narrowed her eyes in distrust and vaguely remembered the person's face. Where had she seen her before? Why did she look so familiar? Suddenly, it became clear as day to Ran: the woman was the famous scientist that was featured in the newspaper. It seemed that she had invented a drug that cures cancer. What was her name again…?

"Miyano Shiho," Ran whispered with a venomous glint in her eyes. Dr. Miyano stood at a height of 1.67 metres, her black stilettos complementing her black shirt and grey jeans. She had short, wavy hair that naturally brownish-blonde and tickled her slender, white throat. Dr. Miyano was an exquisite creature, yet her eyes were frighteningly emotionless. They seemed to be empty, like abysses that were filled with darkness.

"Hurry up. He doesn't have much time left."

Time was ticking by at an alarming speed. Ran knew that she had to make her decision, fast. Without thinking, she shouted out the first thing that came to her mind.

"Fine!"

Dr. Miyano arched her eyebrows. "Are you sure?"

"Go, before I change my mind!" Ran said, deflated.

For once, satisfaction swam in Dr. Miyano's blue orbs. She smiled triumphantly, her lips curling upwards into a beautiful crescent.

"Oh, I forgot to mention. You are not allowed to tell anyone about Shinichi's death, nor are you allowed to make contact with Shinichi at any time."

Ran clenched her fists. Taking in shaky, deep breaths, she seethed, "I know. Leave us alone. I want to talk to him for one last time." Dr. Miyano did not look surprised. She stepped into the dark alley and her shadow became smaller and smaller. Ran shifted her gaze to Shinichi, her hardened eyes softening. The translucent moonlight shone on Shinichi's beautiful face, and it seemed like the world stopped for a while.

For a while, Shinichi was still alive, laughing with her.

For a while, Shinichi was still Shinichi, dreaming to become a great detective like Holmes himself.

For a while, Shinichi was still hers…hers to be with, hers to fight with, hers to love.

Under the moonlight, Ran hugged Shinichi, snaking her arms around his sculpted back. Slowly, she moved her hands upwards, feeling every single muscle, every single bone, until she reached the back of his head. Ran closed her eyes with a contented sigh, smiling sadly. She tried to remember this moment – she really did – and placed her lips tenderly over his. It was not passionate, not fiery, yet filled with love. Love of the purest kind, without any foul intentions.

It lasted for only a second, but it felt like an eternity.

She would remember this kiss for life.

Ran braced herself mentally and looked up with fire in her eyes. "Dr. Miyano, I'm ready."

"Finally."

An old Porsche 356A screeched to a halt. Its blinding flashlight caused Ran to block her eyes. A few moments later, she realised that strong beam of light was gone. Panicking, she spun around and Shinichi was nowhere to be seen. Just then, Dr. Miyano rolled down her window with a cheeky grin. "Oh yeah, just in case you need to contact me, go to Subaru Street, Blk 323. A person will be there to see to you personally."

Dr. Miyano held up three fingers.

"The code is 313. Good luck."

The blinding flashlight came on and Ran did not bother to block it anymore. She watched as the car drifted further and further away from her sight, and once it fully disappeared, she dusted herself off and walked home with a blank, tired face.

* * *

Fixing a deadpanned gaze on the white concrete, Ran stood on one of the last steps of the second flight of stairs to the entrance of Mouri's Detective Agency. Her fingers trembled against the coarse skin of the handrails, and with dread, lifted her heavy head to meet the unwelcoming sight of the slightly ajar door.

With a defeated sigh, she strenuously dragged her feet up the stairs and clasped the door handle. Just as she tightened her grip on the gleaming metal, she caught the musky scent of beer and animalistic roars of euphoria reverberating through the air. Instinctively, she flung open the door, and screamed, "Dad!"

But Mouri Kogorou was hardly sober. On his lap sat a beautiful model, who could be no more than twenty, giving him butterfly kisses. Giggling inanely, he stroke her sleek blonde hair, and drank from the can of beer he held in his other hand. Only a few seconds after Ran's rude intrusion did he notice her presence.

"Shoo! I'm having fun," he hiccupped.

Sneering, she marched up to the teenager. "Get out of this place!" Ran said, grabbing her Louis Vuitton purse from the sofa, and throwing it out of the door. "Out - now!

"What?" the girl spluttered. "Say what – oh my gosh I can't believe what you just did – bitch!" With one last furious glance at the bristling girl, the teenager fled, smoothing the wrinkles in her sundress as she ungraciously exited from the suffocatingly small living room.

Too tired to deal with the drunken mess before her, Ran was about to enter her room when she heard a slurred question.

"How did your date go?"

Ran stiffened. "Great enough."

Mouri wriggled his eyebrows. "My little girl has grown up!" He stared at Ran expectantly. "Well?"

"What?" Ran replied, a bit too quickly.

Mouri sighed irritably. "Has he proposed?"

"He won't."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because I am."

"He's a decent guy, you know –"

"Of course I know! But what can I do now? He's dead, Dad. He's dead!" Ran cried, her perfect façade crumbling to pieces. "I know that I love him. I know that I would be happy being with him – but what now?" Tears flooded her eyes. "Nothing! I have less than nothing – some crazy psychopath came up to me and took his corpse! I can't even mourn him…"

"_You are not allowed to tell anyone about Shinichi's death, nor are you allowed to make contact with Shinichi at any time."_

_Damn. _Ran covered her mouth as she realised her fatal mistake. _What if...Dad stirs up troubles and tells the police? _One wrong move could cost Shinichi's life.

"Are you done with your tirade?" Mouri chuckled, winking at his cute daughter. "I know. Guys tend to be an ass on their first date – so much so that you would wish them to be dead – but it's okay!" Abruptly standing up, he hiccupped before reeling towards Ran. Leaning in, he whispered with an encouraging smile, "It just heightens the sexual tension."

Throwing his head backwards, Mouri guffawed loudly and Ran stared in disbelief at him. Retreating a few steps, Ran never took her eyes off of her father, while trying to decide on a suitable emotion to feel. She groaned as she accidentally kicked the chair, and glared at her insane father who was stripping and laughing at her misfortune.

"That's it! I'm going to bed. Goodnight."

Mouri watched his daughter stomp off with a bemused smile, but it slipped as soon as Ran was out of his sight. Furrowing his brows, he pondered his daughter's behaviour that night, and thought that something was amiss.

"Maybe I'm thinking a bit too much," he snickered, dismissing that thought.

Unable to balance himself, Mouri fell backwards and landed on the sofa, where he spent yet another night in the comfort of solitude.

* * *

The engine roared to life as Miyano Shiho stepped hard on the accelerator. Obediently, the black vintage car zoomed past the glamorous city lights and the inconspicuous, run-down buildings. It was almost like watching a movie. Everything in the outside world seemed so normal – families laughing heartily at an inside joke, siblings bickering over the recent disappearances of their favourite toys, teenagers bearing tattoos and crossing the road without a care in the world – it was so normal that it was abnormal.

People did not realise it. The world was in fact a dangerous, unsafe place. Every night, there were gangsters, thieves, terrorists, and bloodthirsty criminal masterminds out to get them. And yet, they smiled like there was nothing wrong with the world – like they were not aware of the darkness that surrounded and threatened to eat them whole.

_Fools._

Her mobile phone rang.

"It's me." It was Gin's signature drawl. "I'm done with that good-for-nothing APTX 4869 buyer. How's the detective?"

"Wasted," she said, "by my hands."

"Good. And you've disposed of his body, I believe?"

"Yes. I'm slightly concerned though…won't the public notice if the detective goes missing for more than a few days?"

Gin laughed. "Don't worry. I've already taken care of that. His house is set to be exploded tomorrow, and our agents will fabricate a cover story."

"What about Fujimoto?"

"I used APTX 4869 on him. Ironic, isn't it? He got killed by the very drug that he initially agreed to purchase. Who is he, really? Cancelling the contract _just like that_. Can't leave him spreading news now, can we?"

Shiho swallowed. "No..."

"You have done a good job. I will inform _Anokata_ of this."

_Click._

Shiho threw her phone onto the passenger's seat in frustration. Just what had she gotten herself into?

* * *

**Author's Notes: Hope it is not too confusing. Please drop me a review and tell me what you think of these changes. Thanks a lot! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Notes: In the original version, this is Chapter Three. I just want to clarify this so that hopefully, when I post the next chapter (chapter 4 in the original), no one would be confused. Thanks!**

**Disclaimer: Gosho Aoyama owns Detective Conan. I only own the plot of this story.**

* * *

The stars shone even brighter in the darkening sky. Shiho stared out of the windscreen with a glum expression. It was a lonely drive, and her only companion was the soft, gentle hum of the car.

Maybe that was why she could never feel happiness. She woke up to darkness and fell asleep in darkness every day.

No, there was this chilliness in her body that could not be cured, not even the warmest of warmth.

Like_, love._

At least, Shiho did not think so. The previous episode of Gin flashed through her eyes in an instant, like fire scorching her skin. This was her fate. She could do nothing but succumb to it. She was born into the organization, and her only purpose in life is to serve and satisfy them.

Then what was she doing now, trying to resurrect a teenager that would most likely be an obstruction to the Black Organisation's progression in the future?

As much as she hated to admit it, Shiho had a feverish desire to bring down the Black Organisation for once and for all, no matter what it would take to achieve it.

Her conscience tried to justify her resurrecting the detective. She just felt pity for the teenager who had his life taken from him at such a young age – he deserved better. She was sure that he would rather die for a good cause, such as eradicating all evil syndicates in the world.

_Oh, is it really?_ Her mind argued.

No matter how much Shiho tried to deny it, ultimately, she was only using Shinichi as a tool to get rid of her most hated group of people, and to satisfy her inner darkness, which grew since the day she was born. She swore to avenge her parents' deaths, and have the murderer's blood spilled across their graves as tribute.

_That's right. They will pay for what they have done. _Shiho thought, seething.

With clenched fists, she tilted her head slightly to the back, where she knew the dead body of Kudo Shinichi lay. Cheap, white barras covered it, and to any unsuspecting human, it would seem no more than a rotten, worthless corpse that was about to be fed to the maggots.

Meticulous and precise, Shiho made sure that not a single hole was present to allow oxygen to make contact with his skin as she wrapped up his body. Kudo was probably her only chance to defeat the Black Organisation, and she would never allow such a good opportunity slip through her fingers.

Spotting a run-down, dilapidated building, Shiho pulled up to the area of empty land next to the building rumoured to be a haunted house. It was a fairly poor district, with several fights breaking out every day, and undernourished children stealing from occasional passers-by. Some families, out of desperation, moved to the heart of the city. News spread, excitement shared, soon, most of the locals had deserted the area, and Shiho felt a strange stab of sadness when not a person roamed the streets.

Digging out her brand new ID card, Shiho waved it in a figure-eight motion, waiting silently for the '_click_' that would trigger the opening of the building.

"Agent Sherry: identified," came a robotic voice.

Immediately, the foul-smelling pub transformed into a grand, multi-leveled structure that had carpeted stairs leading to the entrance.

Shiho looked up to the tallest floor, and took in a deep breath.

_Here I come, the Headquarters._

* * *

Unlike its outer appearance to the general public, the inner part of the building was very spectacular. The glass floor was transparent, and the blinding light from the basement passed through it and illuminated the whole of the first level. The reception area basked in the faint, orange glow, and Shiho zoomed in on the dark corners, where hushed whispers, masked faces, turned backs loomed.

_Why bother with the décors when no one appreciates it_? She thought, sneering.

With each passing day, Shiho dreaded this place more and more – it was the bane of her life…and yet, she could not leave it. It all seemed like a sick, twisted joke to her that the prison cell that imprisoned her soul was probably the only place that she could call 'home'.

"Good evening, _Senpai_," several _kenkyuusei_ greeted, eager to get into her good books. Shiho stolidly nodded, walking past them purposefully. It was no secret that the senior chemist would be promoted to the Head of Biochemistry soon. Most guessed that it was APTX 4869's creation that caught _Anokata_'s interest, but some fools had theorised that Gin had assisted Shiho in acquiring the new position, seeing as how the two always spent so much time together.

Shiho's lips curled in disgust. She loathed that man completely, but for some inexplicable reason, he took an interest in her, and demanded her to comply with his every order. It sickened her to think of all those days when he would force her to massage his shoulders, or even kill some of his torture subjects.

She had refused, struggled, begged even, but Gin remained aloof to her pleas, laughing sadistically whenever she broke down, ashamed of herself. Over time, she had developed coping mechanisms to deal with Gin's obsession with her. He had been satisfied for the first few months, but recently, his needs grew, and he was being rougher and more demanding.

Shiho strode purposefully towards the junior medical examiner that fidgeted nervously in his seat. His newcomer nametag was polished, gleaming brightly, though few scratches were seen.

"Where is No. 2356S?"

He glanced at Shiho with widened eyes, knowing very well who she was. Flipping his organised notebook, he squeaked, "He was being transported into the Examination Room. Any orders, Ma'am?"

"Apply liquidised dry ice to his body. 5ml per inch of skin. All precautionary measures are to be carried out. _Make sure he's preserved_. Is that clear?"

Gulping, he nodded, before rushing off, whispering orders to the other medical examiners that were carrying the thinly-veiled corpse to its eventual destination. She was about to leave when she heard a cool voice, "Sherry."

"Gin," she said, without turning around. "To whom do I owe the pleasure of seeing you here?"

"I could also ask the same of you," he said, smiling, which deeply unnerved Shiho. She tried to leave, but Gin grabbed her arm.

"You haven't answered my question," he said, watching with amusement as Shiho's eyes formed slits.

"Pardon my silence," Shiho snapped.

"Oh, someone is angry today! That's new," Gin smirked.

"It just shows how insensitive you are to my daily emotions. Work on your socialising skills, _Big Boss_," Shiho fired back. She looked around. "Where's your best friend? Don't tell me he's abandoned you too."

Gin's expression hardened. "_'Best friend_'?" he laughed mirthlessly. "What a joke. I don't need friends. Vodka is just a tamed dog that serves me with utmost loyalty." He leaned in to whisper in Shiho's ears. "And I would expect that from you too, _dear_."

Shiho shuddered.

"Here's your car keys," she said, turning on her heels to leave. "Good thing I met you here, if not I have to go over to your place to return them."

"But don't you always?"

"No, I don't," she said, glaring at him. "At least, not willingly. Dream on." Shiho broke away from Gin's grasp, and stormed away. Gin's eyes glinted suspiciously as he contemplated Shiho's visit to the Headquarters. Something was off, he knew that much.

* * *

For the next few days, life in the Black Organisation went on as usual. Nothing would seem different at first glance, but a careful observer would have known that the highly ranked Miyano Shiho did not do work in her usual routine. While she appeared to be researching the side effects of APTX 4869, she was, in truth, investigating possible ways to keep Kudo's heart pumping. At the same time, she also collected his DNA, and was examining his cells to see what processes were taking place.

Whenever no one was looking, she would sneak into the Examination Room and check on Kudo. His face had been ghastly pale, lips blue in colour, hands so cold that ice formed on them, but Shiho had forced herself to maintain her professional image and took down notes apathetically.

It was necessary to subject him to such treatment, Shiho knew. With a heart that could not pump to circulate the blood throughout the whole body, Shiho hoped that the low temperature would halt autolysis, and she would have enough time to work out a way to bring Kudo back to life.

After taking note of his physical appearance, Shiho would her gloves and observe the sample that long collected from Kudo's body. On the first day, the cells were shown to self-destruct, and the next few days were not any better. Unlike her usual self, she rushed to add chemicals to his body, hoping that his situation would improve somehow.

There was no time for experimentation. Shiho did not have the time and resources to test several different products and collate the data.

No, everything had to be right.

Her daily routine was just that for the first few days – pretending to be a good researcher, frantically saving a guy's life, and spending her nighttime worrying about the consequences of disobeying her superior's instructions.

On the third day, once she was sure that the self-destruction speed had decreased, Shiho asked for the body to be sent to her apartment, knowing keeping the corpse in the Examination Room would arouse suspicion, eventually leading to the discovery of _her plan_. She fed the medical examiners with lies, satisfying their curiosity with curt sentences.

"It's for my APTX 4869 project. No questions asked." Shiho could only pray that these simple-minded fools would not accidentally spill her secrets and foil her whole plan.

Shiho would wake up at night just to change Kudo's liquidised dry ice herself, and repeat the whole morning procedure. Her sleeping cycle became irregular, her temper worse than usual, but Shiho kept going. Sometimes, she would even slip in front of her co-workers, which planted seeds of doubt in some of them. It was bad, Shiho knew, but she had come too far to give up now.

On the sixth day, she had a breakthrough. Self-reproduction began taking place again!

On the eighth, the rate of cell division was already faster than that of self-destruction. Even though Shiho understood none of this, she felt her weariness slipping away. After all, it was her first time examining an APTX4869-afflicted victim. That night, she celebrated her victory with the still-unconscious Kudo, holding her champagne up high as she sang to the ode of freedom.

Shiho truly smiled on the ninth day. She rested exceptionally well that night, and woke up with an endless amount of vitality. Completely her sub-unit research on the altered shape of DNA in record time, Shiho was given a three-day leave and went home early.

However, something just felt off as she stepped into the miniscule flat. Shiho leaned on the wooden door warily, holding on to the door handle, steadying herself as she removed her shoes. She surveyed her surroundings sharply, squinting distrustfully, as she closed the door behind her and crept closer to her private laboratory, where Kudo lay.

_Could it be…?_ She suddenly thought, throat going dry. "No, they couldn't have discovered him. The door had no trace of an attempted break-in," she said, reasoning with herself. Nevertheless, she could not shake off the ominous feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Shiho bit her lips and steadied her breathing. She stared at the laboratory door with apprehension, before finally turning the knob.

Shiho half-expected a man in black to strangle to death, but to her surprise, everything was normal. Her test tubes were not stolen, her observation sheets were not tampered with, and even her favourite fountain pen stayed where it was.

She blamed it on the lack of sleep. Rubbing her eyes, Shiho turned with a sleepy smile, but suddenly felt a cold hand shoot out and grab her wrist.

Hard.

It sent chills down her spine, and the next thing she knew, she tumbled onto the four-poster bed, her arms painfully twisted in an _ude-garami_, her chest painfully constricted as she realised that she could not breathe. All she could feel was the hot, humid breath that lingered on the skin of her throat.

"Where am I?"

Shiho narrowed her eyes and finally turned to face her attacker. Her eyes widened.

"Kudo…Shinichi?"

* * *

**Author's Notes: Please review! :) I really want to thank all of you for your valuable feedback. I promise the next chapter would be up by tomorrow. Once again, please review and thank you!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Notes: Hello I'm back! To avoid any confusion, this is Chapter FOUR in the original version, but since I've made some changes to the story, this will be Chapter THREE in the edited version. The changes aren't major, but you will get a better experience if you re-read it from the start. It will ensure a smoother flow, I promise. Sorry for any confusion caused!**

**Disclaimer: Gosho Aoyama owns Detective Conan. I only own the plot of this story.**

* * *

"Where am I?" hissed Kudo, crushing Shiho's petite frame with his weight. Still trapped in that compromising position, Shiho snapped, "Let go of me, you beast!"

"Not until you tell me where I am," he said, tightening his grip on her arms.

Shiho glared coldly. "Shouldn't you be more concerned about who I am?"

"You?" Kudo laughed humourlessly. "Nothing important."

"I can kill you now."

"Yes, when you are trapped under my masculine body."

"I have people to back me up."

"I doubt that. You don't look like the sociable kind."

Shiho looked into his turquoise orbs. "Don't judge a book by its cover."

To her fury Kudo only smiled sweetly. "I am a detective, honey. In the short span of three minutes and twenty-three seconds since I've woken, I noticed that you only have pictures of a woman that, if I'm not wrong, is related to you. Also, this flat is too small for wild cats – which brings us back to our original question: where am I?"

"So what if I only have my sister's pictures?" scoffed Shiho. "I love her."

Kudo raked his eyes down her body. "You probably don't have any experience with guys, seeing as how much you are fidgeting in my arms."

"That's because you smell."

"Didn't you bathe me at all? I'm hurt."

"Of course I did!" Shiho shouted defensively. "I took care of everything for you! Bathing, eating, drinking – "

"This proves that you were lying just now. You wouldn't hurt me."

Shiho screamed at herself inwardly. Just why did she have to tell him that?

"What is your point?" she sneered.

"You clearly have no other friends other than this sister of yours. However, since I'm sure that I don't associate myself with unsociable people like you, I can't be your friend…" he paused, frowning. Then there was a look of sudden realisation.

"Just where am I?" he asked, grabbing Shiho by her collar, There was a primal glint in his eyes and Shiho did not like it.

"As if I would tell you," she said, jutting out her chin stubbornly. Growling, Kudo forced her arms into an awkward angle, and straightened them.

"Ouch! Don't go so harsh, you ungrateful bastard…" Shiho winced. Kudo intensified the hold – and collapsed. He touched his head gingerly, and scowled.

"My brain cells are dying…"

Without any forces restricting her movements, Shiho sat up grumpily, and massaged her sore arms. "What does the pain feel like?" she grumbled, none too happy about treating Kudo after his sudden and brutal attack on her. Her only answer was a loud whimper.

"Get up," she commanded, grabbing a pack of ice cubes, and wrapping them in a cloth. She placed it tenderly against Kudo's head, with a motherly touch. "Feeling better now?" she muttered, giving Kudo a reproachful look. "Well you deserve it; I'm surprised that you did not get a concussion, with all those 'high-impact activities' that you have been doing right after you came round."

There was a pink stain on Shiho's cheeks, and she looked away, abashed. An awkward Kudo sat beside her, staring at her soft, porcelain hand that touched his forehead habitually.

"Well, you don't have a fever, so your conditions are probably stable now," Shiho stated, still not making eye contact with Kudo.

There was silence. She rose to leave, but a hand hesitantly grasped her wrist.

"Who are you?" those words are silently muttered.

Shiho looked into his heavily-guarded turquoise orbs, which regarded her expectantly. There was an inexplicable emptiness in them, but she cast that thought aside.

"Hell's angel," she said, removing his hand from hers. She tried to smile at him, which she was sure looked like a lopsided frown. "Rest well, _tantei-san_. You will get your answers later. Sweet dreams."

She turned the door knob and opened the door.

And closed it.

* * *

Kudo Shinichi was in a daze. It was a remarkable feat in itself, because Kudo Shinichi was never dazed. It just goes to show how screwed up he currently felt, as he lay in an unrecognisable dark room, where the only source of comfort was the rhythm of his own breathing.

In fact, for the past forty minutes, he had been counting the number of times he had breathed, because that seemed like the only thing he was capable of. It was oddly soothing to hear the sound of numbers rolling off his tongue because of their familiarity.

All in all, Kudo Shinichi was feeling like the biggest failure in the world. He was aware of that, but he still could not accept the truth.

_The truth that he had no memory of anything that had transpired in his life up till that very moment._

It pained him to know that he was essentially stripped of everything that made him _him_. He did not exactly know it _per se_, but his intuition told him that his core –memories, possibly his knowledge and sense of humour – was gone, and whenever he tried to remember what happened that landed him in this situation, his head would start throbbing painfully.

He supposed he was still pretty lucky to have his logic. At least, with logic, he could figure out how to wear socks, which he could have easily forgotten without logic. Humans have two feet, don't they? Socks are for covering humans' feet, aren't they? There, you have it!

He simply had to pull his socks over his feet. One might laugh at him for going through such a tedious process, but Shinichi smiled knowingly. Logic was the best gift humans were blessed with; logic transcended time and ensured that humans remain the fittest of all animals.

Shinichi clenched his jaws with determination. He would pull through every single day, with the gift of reasoning that made him famous. No matter what, he would find a way to get back his memories, and escape from this place unscathed.

And there was this mysterious woman that Shinichi was still struggling to understand. Who on earth was she? Was she why he could not recall a single thing? How did she know him? What would she do to him?

From what he had observed so far, Hell's Angel, as she had called herself, was a stubborn and cold woman, though she could be kind at times. The name was rather befitting, but it also got Shinichi wondering: why didn't she reveal her true name?

A wave of nausea suddenly hit Shinichi hard, and he curled into a ball. _I shouldn't have questioned so much_! he thought silently, as he faded into unconsciousness.

And all was black.

* * *

"…Kudo? Are you alright?" a smooth hand was up against his neck. Shinichi felt the first signs of consciousness – drowsiness and inability to discern sounds. It felt surreal, as if he was trapped in Limbo.

_More caresses. More spoken words._

"…wake up, Kudo! Don't go dead on me."

Shinichi lifted his eyelids for a split second, and shut them tightly. "Damn…turn off the fucking lights. My head bloody _hurts_, for God's sake."

"Sorry about that," she said, not apologetic at all. "I need to conduct some checks on you first, hence the strong lights. Problem?"

"Yes. In case it needs any reiteration, my head just feels like it's been run over by a truck."

"Thanks for the vivid description. Now would you kindly shut up while I try to save your arse?"

Shinichi mumbled unintelligently, before going still again. He knew that the woman meant no harm, but it just ticked him off to know that she was bossing him around.

_Honestly? Just who does she think she is?_ Shinichi thought, scrutinising her with a critical eye. A professional, white coat was casually worn over her red turtleneck dress. He had no idea why she was in heels…and black heels, at that. Perhaps, she would be going out later? Or did she just come back from, say, work?

"You didn't introduce yourself properly."

"I don't think I should," she looked up from the clipboard. "It's better for you to stay away from me. I'm dangerous."

"Inappropriate adjective you have used there, Miss."

"Don't insult my linguistic skills. I know what I am saying, thank you very much." She wrote the last word on the piece of paper attached to the clipboard. "But I wasn't joking just now. The less you know about me, the better."

"Quit making grand claims! They make you a lot harder to tolerate."

"Then don't. I honestly don't care about what you think of me," she said, handing him four white pills. "Drink them up. It'll make the pain go away."

Shinichi did. "Look, I'm just trying to start a conversation here."

"It might be unwise to do so, though. Which part of 'do not talk to strangers' do you not understand?"

"As far as I can remember, that's the only way to make an acquaintance."

Shiho glared at him. "Don't make this any harder for me."

"Why not? You aren't exactly helpful."

"Ungrateful jerk," she muttered. "This won't work on me – I will _not_ slip and tell you _anything,_ so save your breath."

"What will?"

"A kiss."

"Seriously?"

"No."

"Come on, you are no fun."

"I don't feel inclined to make this experience fun for you."

"At least do it out of apathy?"

Shinichi sat very still as the woman edged towards him, with the gait of a predator stalking its prey. She had a smirk on her face, which Shinichi thought was incredibly…interesting. She then sat down at the edge of the bed, smiling.

"You're right. We should let go every once in a while."

_Where did she learn that from_? Shinichi wondered, taken aback. He didn't actually expect her to _do it_…

Now she was leaning so close to him that he could see the tip of her button nose and her perky lips. Shinichi felt his blood rushing to his face, and stuttered, "I was kidding, alright?"

"No, Shinichi, if we are going to spend the next few months living together, we might as well…become better oriented with each other."

Shinichi could not think straight. His head was pounding again. He shifted backwards subconsciously, suddenly feeling uncomfortable in his clothes. His spine tingled with excitement as the woman enveloped him in an embrace. Her hands travelled upwards, until they were entangled in his hair.

It was too…overwhelming. Shinichi had never been kissed in his life, and he never thought that his first time would be with a stranger.

He closed his eyes and turned his head away. "Sorry…I can't…"

"Shh…" she cooed, pressing a finger against his lips. She better positioned herself, lifting her legs and kneeling before Shinichi.

They were intimately close.

The woman took her time to remove her coat. She shrugged it off carelessly, until it covered little of her pale arms. With one last tug, the coat came off and Shinichi swallowed hard.

_This can't be good_, he thought. It was agonisingly painful to remain in his rigid position when his mind was torn between running for his life and getting it over and snogging the woman senseless.

He did neither.

It did not help that the woman was readjusting her position, her thighs accidentally brushing against his. She arched her back, and met his gaze with a sultry smile.

"Game on, _tantei-san_?"

They were only centimetres apart now. Shinichi did not dare to move, afraid that he would ruin the moment. It was not some cheesy 'love at first sight' crap – oh God no – blame it all on his raging testosterone.

He was a fighting a losing battle. Shinichi gave in and leaned forward ever so slowly…

A second passed. Nothing came.

Then he felt a sharp, blinding pain shooting through his groin.

"What the fuck?" he screamed, covering his male jewels with a pained expression. Shiho abruptly stood up and wore her coat.

She glanced at Shinichi coolly. "I hope that sends the message clearly: I am not someone to be messed with." There was no amusement in her voice, only an underlying warning that she was _nothing but dangerous._

"I also want to take this opportunity to let you know that I'm not to be taken lightly. This is no joke. You had better get that through your thick skull," she said, folding her arms across her chest.

"Last but not least, _do not take me for a common whore._ I find that very insulting." Shiho had already turned around. She flipped off the switch.

"Dinner's at eight. I'll bring it to you, so you don't have to come down personally. If you need help or anything, ring this bell –" she pointed at the object placed next to Shinichi's bed, " – and I'll come. _No pranks_, is that clear?"

Her hand was on the door knob.

"Before I go," she said quietly, "remember this: _do not ever leave this room_. If you do, I'll kill you before you can even say 'Sherlock Holmes'."

She then slammed the door shut. Shinichi stared at it, stunned.

_Crazy bitch_, he thought.

* * *

**Author's Notes: First and foremost, I really want to thank every single one of you for your amazing reviews! Special thanks goes to holmesfreak-san, who was really kind and pointed out the flaws in the story without sounding too harsh.**

**Secondly, I really hope these slight changes did not affect your experience as a reader. It is my intention as a writer to bring you the very best. Therefore, any feedback is welcome.**

**Last but not least, thank you again! You guys are splendid, and I could not thank you enough. :) Hope you enjoyed this chapter!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Notes: Yeah I'm back. Surprisingly fast, though. To those who are confused: this is Chapter Five in the original version, but Chapter Four in the edited version. If you didn't read the previous chapter (Chapter Four in the original version), please read that first. :) Okay then, have fun!**

**Disclaimer: ****Gosho Aoyama owns Detective Conan. I only own the plot of this story.** _  
_

* * *

As soon as her finger tips left the surface of the metal handle, Shiho leaned against the wooden door, slipping towards the floor with a dead look in her eyes. Her body was stiff, her features frozen, and it seemed like everything was in slow motion: the way her eyelids fluttered close, throat strangely constricting, nimble fingers dabbing the corners of her eyes –

She was crying.

Shiho would have preferred to call it 'tear-shedding', though.

In all honesty, Shiho could never understand the mechanisms of crying. In her earliest memories of reading science textbooks, tears served no other purposes other than lubricating the eyes, on occasions where the latter were irritated by external substances, or became too dry from little moisturising.

It defied all explanations regarding crying – a release of human emotions, an intentional exposure of weaknesses, and an SOS call for unneeded help.

Crying was blatantly stupid. However, Shiho had never felt more embarrassed and helpless than she felt right now.

She felt dirty.

Unfathomable as it was, Shiho had done it – teasing a teenage guy like some tormenting schoolgirl. One might have thought she was going to rape him next. There was nothing she could do to change that shameful fact that she had run her fingers over his body like a shameless whore. She did not even know why she had done it.

And now, she also had no idea why she was crying. It was all so confusing. Her uneventful life, though lacklustre, was at least organised, before she ruined the peace herself. Images of the past few weeks suddenly flooded her mind: a female teenager brawling her eyes out over her boyfriend's dead corpse; horrible, yet extremely vivid, nightmares of Gin killing her; Akemi's disappointed smile when she heard the news of Shiho murdering an innocent man…

Akemi. _My _Ane_, _Shiho thought with yet another painful jolt in the stomach. She had betrayed her, too. _My sweet, beautiful _ane,_ whom I had never been allowed to meet without the Organisation's permission._

Those days before she turned six were the best. Akemi would pamper her with lollipops and handmade presents, bringing her letters that her so-called 'young friends' had written her – which Shiho later discovered were written by Akemi herself – in an attempt to cheer her up, in that dark, dry cell that the Organisation had imprisoned her in.

Shiho had always looked forward to midnights, when her sister would sneak into the visiting room secretly, eradicating that awful aura that suffocated Shiho, with that bright smile of hers. Sometimes, in her unimpressive flat, Shiho would stare at the door with a hard look, expecting the bell to ring. Of course, they were all unrealistic, childish fantasies, which were too good to be true anyway.

"_Relax, Shiho-chan! You are too stressed_."

Shiho hugged her knees tightly. _So what if I did cry? What's wrong with it?_ Shiho thought bitterly, thinking of the Organisation's expectations and standards for her: _cold scientist, brilliant genius, heartless killer, emotionless woman…_

Labels. They were all labels. Labels telling her who she should and should not be.

_I'm a human too! I have emotions. _

She hated those kinds of people. They were the worst. They thought they understood her, when in fact they saw nothing but the superficial layer of her personality.

Gin once told her that crying was for the weak, but Shiho could not care that much anymore. She just wanted to follow her _ane_'s advice and release her inner tension. It was overwhelming her like a volcano that was about to erupt.

Shiho hastily wiped away a tear. She stared straight ahead blankly.

_And stayed like that for an hour while her heart bled._

* * *

The next time she saw Kudo he was asleep. He was lying in an unnatural position, with an arm awkwardly bent to the side, and Shiho idly wondered what was going on in his mind.

As promised, she went to his room at eight, carrying a bowl of piping hot porridge. She blew it gently, closing the door behind her and sitting on the chair right next to the bed.

Shiho regarded the man carefully. His face was contorted with fear, with beads of perspiration lining his forehead. She frowned. _Why did he look so afraid?_

She placed his meal on the dressing table, before massaging his temples soothingly. The haunted look was still on his face, but it slowly ceased. Shiho contemplated thoughtfully. She was certain Kudo was the most obnoxious man she had ever met, but when he made no sounds, he was still pretty decent.

"Please wake up, Kudo-san," she said, taking a formal approach, in contrast to the impolite tone she had used speaking to him a few hours ago. She might not like him much, but she had to remain courteous, especially now that she had a stranger residing in her house.

She shook his shoulder. "Kudo-san? Your _o-porijji _is here."

Kudo stirred. Shiho shook his shoulder more forcefully.

"…morning," he said. Shiho nodded in reply, gesturing towards the bowl of porridge. "It's dinnertime now. Please, I hope you will enjoy it."

Kudo looked at her suspiciously. "Why are you so nice now?" He took a sip of the porridge.

"I was raised to have good manners." _Akemi_. "I sincerely apologise for intruding into your privacy. It was very disrespectful of me. _Shitsurei shimashita_."

Kudo kept silent, stirring his porridge indifferently. Very softly, he said, "No, I'm sorry too."

He put down his spoon, furrowing his brows, glaring at the porridge with seriousness. Shiho watched observantly as he opened his mouth and closed it again.

"You see, I didn't mean to be so horrible to you." He paused, trying to search for the right words. "Something…just overcame me. Everything was happening so quickly, and I felt so lost…I didn't know how to react at all. So I just got defensive."

Shiho looked at him curiously. She had heard of his reputation as the famous Detective of the East. If anything, he should be the last person on Earth to lose control in this kind of situations. Any sane guy with his intellect would know that the smart way was to pretend to be unconscious and understand the situation first.

_Could there be more to this_?

Shiho leaned forward, eagerly nodding. There was still suspicion in Kudo's eyes, but he spoke anyway, "After you left, I thought about how I immediately attacked you, and the more I thought about it, the more stupid it seemed – you could have been some top-notch FBI agent that would have no problem killing me in one second. It was foolish."

Shiho chuckled_. So it did occur to him_.

"I had no idea. I just did _Judo_ on you without thinking. It seemed instinctual – I don't recall taking Judo lessons, but I still knew how to it…and I had this feeling that you probably wouldn't harm me – call it intuition."

"It was a blur – everything was confusing. One moment I was close to strangling a woman whom I have never met in my life, and the next I was about to kiss the very woman whom I was going to strangle, and before I could think, the same woman pulled away and _threatened_ me."

Kudo took a deep breath.

"I think I'm losing my mind. I can't remember anything. At times random snapshots of memories would just flash through my mind, but they go away as quickly as they come. _I don't even know who I am anymore. _All I knew was that at some point of my life I was a detective. It must have been quite an important part of my previous life, seeing as how certain I am of it."

"But then again, I don't think I should be telling you any of this. Any normal man would agree so, no? I guess I just trust you. I trust that you can help me."

But Shiho was hardly listening.

_I don't even know who I am anymore._

His voice rang repeatedly in her mind.

_I don't even know who I am anymore._

_I don't even know who I am anymore._

_I don't even know who I am anymore._

"….what did you mean, you can't remember anything?" she said weakly.

It felt as if she had been struck like lightning. She could not help but tremble, her skin burning painfully, as she was forced to accept the scorching truth.

"Don't you remember that mysterious transaction? Those men in black?"

"No, I don't think so."

"What about Tropical Land? Do you remember what happened there?"

"No…"

Shiho prompted him. "You went there with your girlfriend on a date."

Kudo only looked perplexed. "I had a girlfriend?"

"Don't you remember anything about her? You loved her very much." Shiho whispered. "She loved you very much, too," she said, as if it would make a difference.

Kudo looked blankly at her. "I'm sorry, but I don't think I do." He looked at her solemnly, without any trace of regret in his eyes. However, the carefree way he said it made Shiho uneasy.

It reminded her of the casual way she would answer to any question related to her parents: "I'm afraid I don't remember enough of them to provide any useful information related to your question."

It was scary, the way she simply referred to them as sources of information that could possibly be exploited by the Black Organisation for their next big mission. They were not humans, but simply _objects_, in her eyes. They were stripped of their essential human qualities, and were reduced to less than nothing.

They left nothing behind for Shiho. No encouragement in dense texts of letters, no affection in recordings where they would repeatedly tell Shiho that they loved her…not even remains which would make her sister happy because she could mourn them.

Shiho was scared by how little remorse and sympathy she felt as she was thinking about those things.

She was just like one of _them_.

"No, Kudo-san. You have to remember her. She's important to you…you wouldn't want to lose her." Shiho urged, despite her own feelings towards her parents. She could not bear seeing another soul die because they forgot how it felt to be loved, and what it meant to love.

She had to save that light in him.

"You are different from me, Kudo-san. You are born with the opportunities to do things that I can't – great things, that could save, or destroy, the whole of humanity. Please don't succumb to darkness."

"We live in a dark world. Every day, people get killed, but the general public remained ignorant, and continued living in bliss. They had no idea that they might just run into a kidnapper while walking in alleys, or get murdered just because they lived next to an intended target of criminal gangs in a hotel. However, things like this still happen anyway."

"Sometimes, it's not that the so-called 'criminals' really want to commit crimes. More often than not, they are forced to do it because of certain circumstances, but no one ever realises this, or tries to render help to these people.

"And so they lose hope. They turn evil. They commit crimes. Perhaps, when they are eventually caught, it might just be the merciful thing for them. They will finally see the light of justice…but only near the end of their lives."

Shiho looked at the disconcerted man before her with a bitter smile. The tone of her voice changed, however:

"But you are something else, Kudo Shinichi. You are blessed with charisma, a tool indispensable for politicians and public speakers alike; intelligence, something so rare, yet powerful enough to change things for the better or the worse; athleticism, which our primal ancestors possessed but passed down to only the selected few.

"Please utilise your gifts well, Kudo-san, and save all of us from this growing darkness that threatens to swallow the whole of Japan. You have no idea how powerful you are, and how much your actions would impact our lives. Please – we are all relying on you."

"No, I really don't think I can – "

"You are the only one who can do this. You are destined to change the world. You are the _Silver Bullet_, Kudo-san – you are the chosen one. I will help you regain your memories to the best of my ability, and provide you with support in all ways, as long as you agree to help me."

The fire in Shiho's eyes burnt passionately.

"Maybe, in the process of saving you, I will also be able to save myself."

* * *

**Author's Notes: Thank you everyone for reviewing, favouriting and following this story! It really means a lot to me. Special thanks goes to Holmesfreak-san again for her invaluable advice, which prevented this from turning into a sappy story.**

**I would really love to hear your thoughts on this story, so please review! As usual, constructive criticism is welcome. Thanks guys! ^^**


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